Tegu having trouble walking

[dragonqueen4]

Hi guys, Im new to the forum. I have many reptiles, but Trooper is my first and only Tegu. He is probably about 6 months old and I bought him about 2 months ago from pets unlimited. When I got him he was a little shakey when walking, but otherwise seemed ok. His temps are about 110 basking spot, when he climbs up on his ledge, lower on his cave is about 100 and the cool end is about 85. Humidity is always between 65 and 85%. He has a uvb 10.0 which he can get about 8 inches and 15 inches away from. He eats superworms, pinky mice and he loooooves chicken hearts. I took him to the vet and the vet told me to buy a liquid calcium from a pharmacy and give it to him oraly. I have been doing this but he is getting worse. I took him to the vet again and the vet gave him a shot of calcium and said that if he didnt make at least a small improvement in the next few days then we should be concerned that its not a calcium deficency that perhaps its renal failure or a thiamine or vitamin b deficency. So, its been about 3 days now since the shot of calcium and theres no improvement. He can hardly even climb up on his cave anymore. However, he doesnt have any kinks in his toes or tail, he still has a big appetite, and is gaining weight quickly as a young tegu should. He appears very healthy other than his shakiness, and is very friendly. I am taking him back for blood work in 2 days, but I am really worried. Does anyone have any advice or opinions? Anything would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[laurarfl]

Your set up sounds good, but have you noticed him basking under the UV light? Less than 12" is ideal for proper absorption on those strip lights (is it a strip light or coil/compact?). If the weather allows, getting him outside for at least 30 min of sunlight would be helpful.

Some supplements would be helpful. In this case, I would probably give him calcium with D3 for a little while and a multivitamin in case it was a B vitamin deficiency as well. The foods that young tegus eat in captivity are usually off in the calcium phosphorous ration and notorious for a calcium deficiency set up.

In case of kidney issues, make sure the humidity is at proper levels, mist daily, and keep plenty of drinking water around. Perhaps offer some fruit for extra water intake.

 

[DaveDragon]

It could also be too much calcium, if he was deficient and you gave him too much. Too much can be as bad as too little.

 

[ashesc212]

Too much D3 could lead to organ toxicity...I'd get a second opinion from another herp vet.

 

[dragonqueen4]

Thanks for the replies!
He does bask under his uv light.. its a coil lamp, not the strip light. I think its the hagen brand. Ive been feeding him chicken hearts almost everyday because he loves them so much. I read that foods that are too protein rich could cause kidneys problems, so I cut back on the hearts. Im taking him back to the vet tmw. I'll let you all know how hes doing

 

[PuffDragon]

Those types of bulbs have been known to cause problems. I personally would switch over to a self ballistic mercury vapor bulb such as the Zoomed Powersun, Trex activUV or ReptileUV's megaray.


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[alewis0890]

all coils and compacts should be avoided for proven eye problems... puff mentioned some good mvb's, also the tube repti-SUN 10.0 is a great bulb, although they need to be closer to the bulb for full absorbtion... some of the guys on the uvb spectrum groups on yahoo show testing results of the bulbs, i probably cant afford the meter so i just read theyre stats after them after them...

 

[dragonqueen4]

So, hes going to the vet every 2 or 3 days for calcium shots. And Im going to look into getting some of those uvb bulbs you recommended!!

 

[omgtaylorg]

you said something about the too much protein giving kidney problems, i mentioned a similar problem that someone told me about feeding too much rats and it giving kidney problems(rats are high in protein..and everything at that matter), so I asked bobby and he clarified that he has NEVER heard of a tegu getting kidney problems especially from eating rats(high in protein) as with chicken hearts, so I would not be worried about this as bobby has kept reptiles for over 30 years and seems to know his facts.

 

[dragonqueen4]

Awesome! Thats good to know.. thanks for that information!!